Politics

My politics are not an enigma to anyone who knows me. I am quite vocal about the wrongs I see – the injustices.

I believe that all people are created equal, whether they are Latinos, Muslim, or part of the LGBT community.

I believe that we should always be extending a hand to those who suffer at the hands of wrong doing, whether it’s from a racially biased judicial system, a war-torn country, or the inability to marry.

I believe that women should be awarded the same amount of pay for working the same job as her male coworkers and that she has the right to healthy and accessible care, from birth control pills to abortion.

I believe that we need to provide free health care to our nation and that we need to overhaul the way we produce food.

I believe in global warming and our responsibility to stop it.

I believe that in 2015, the United States should have roads that are safe and mass transit (buses, high-speed rail) that can affordably and easily connect this nation to not only reduce our carbon emissions, but also to lower our vehicular accidents and deaths.

I believe that calling another person murderous filth because they want to enter your country is ridiculous, especially when your country was founded on the backs of immigrant families.

I believe there is no war on Christmas.

I believe that the minimum wage is unlivable and the wage gap in this country is abysmal. I find it disgusting that people are spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on cosmetic surgery while children can’t afford pens and paper in their classrooms. It’s their prerogative, I guess, but should it be their priority?

I believe that having religious freedom does not pertain solely to Christians. I believe it should stay out of my politics as a rightful separation of church and state. I also believe that I could supplant mosque, synagogue, or any other house of worship for the word “church” and it wouldn’t matter, because deep down, we’re all worshiping the same god. So what does it matter what word we use?

I believe that you should put down your freakin’ cell phone and talk to somebody. Anybody. Call up your grandparents who were part of “The Greatest Generation” and find out why they were so great. Ask your parents how they met. Find out the most embarrassing thing they did as a child. Go to a nursing home and listen to them. Everyone has a story and, deep down, I think we all want our stories to be known by somebody.

And for Christ’s sake, end gun violence NOW.

Words cannot express how senseless all of this death and violence is. Our world, our country is sick. We no longer know how to listen to one another – no longer know how to help those who need to say, “I am in pain.” Our culture is immersed in the glorification of firearms – from video games to TV to billboards to music to politicians with NRA hands in their pockets.

And no, this isn’t a new argument – that our media can be dangerous – and I, too, scoffed at it in years past. However, when Plato posed the argument thousands of years ago that theatre and poetry would cause a nation’s destruction because the young would not know reality from play, you have to start to wonder. (And I WORK in the theatre!)

We continuously spread a message that violence is how we solve things. And, yet, many of these same outlets do not show the destruction that is caused by the choices people make to use guns. How many times do our favorite characters miraculously reawaken from the dead after a gunshot wound? (Or a battle axe to the head? I’m looking at you, Jon Snow.) How often can we hit Refresh or Reload on a violent video game?

End Gun Violence Now

But in life?

Over 33,000 people died from gun violence in the year 2013. That’s more than several states’ statistic of deaths due to cancer that same year.

So what do we do about cancer? We fight it. We actively try to eradicate it. We donate money to its cure. We wear ribbons and run 5Ks.

And what do we do when the US has yet another gun massacre? We say “stuff happens” (Jeb Bush) and “it’s not a gun problem” (Donald Trump).

Well, for me, that’s not enough and I intend to do something about it. Please, won’t you help me?